- Largie Ramazani - 6'
- Lucas Vázquez - 61'
- David Alaba - 75'
Real Madrid rally past Almeria to start LaLiga season with win
Real Madrid go ahead on a free kick from David Alaba
Real Madrid go ahead on a free kick from David Alaba
Champions Real Madrid overcame a slow start in their first match of the LaLiga season with a 2-1 comeback win over Almeria at the Power Horse Stadium on Sunday night.
David Alaba netted a divine winner after Lucas Vazquez had drawn Madrid level following a surprise opener from Almeria's Largie Ramazani in the sixth minute.
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The newly-promoted hosts took a shock lead early in the first half with a classy goal through Ramazani, who picked up a perfect ball over the top of the Madrid defense, took one touch and fired a low line drive past Thibaut Courtois to make it 1-0.
Carlo Ancelotti's side -- which included five changes to the starting 11 that won both the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup -- applied plenty of pressure throughout the first half and even had a Vazquez goal ruled out for offside as Almeria clung to their narrow lead until half-time.
Madrid ratcheted through the gears and found their equaliser just after the hour mark when Vazquez pounced on a loose ball and scored from close range following Vinicius Junior's hard-charging run into the area.
Alaba made the ultimate impact as a substitute, scoring the go-ahead goal with his first touch after coming on for Ferland Mendy. The Austria international bent the ball up and over the Almeria wall from a free kick into the top corner after Luka Modric was brought down just outside the penalty area.
"It was a complicated match, they explored very well the spaces that we left on the back of the defence," Ancelotti said. "[Aurelien] Tchouameni and [Eduardo] Camavinga didn't show their true quality and potential, but sometimes Real Madrid shirt is a heavy burden for the young players.
"I have full confidence that they will progress because they are high level players."
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Juan Martínez Munuera
Spanish LALIGA Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | +29 | 33 |
| Real Madrid | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | +10 | 24 |
| Atlético Madrid | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | +11 | 23 |
| Villarreal | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 21 |
| Osasuna | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 21 |
| Athletic Club | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | +6 | 19 |
| Real Betis | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | +2 | 19 |
| Mallorca | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | +1 | 18 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | +2 | 16 |
| Celta Vigo | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | -2 | 16 |
| Real Sociedad | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Girona | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 15 |
| Sevilla | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | -5 | 15 |
| Alavés | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -5 | 13 |
| Leganés | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | -4 | 11 |
| Getafe | 12 | 1 | 7 | 4 | -2 | 10 |
| Espanyol | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | -11 | 10 |
| Las Palmas | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -8 | 9 |
| Real Valladolid | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -15 | 8 |
| Valencia | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -9 | 7 |
LALIGA News